Feleipe Franks vs. Kyle Trask not much of a battle in Florida spring game

GAINESVILLE — With incumbent starting quarterback Luke Del Rio nursing a shoulder injury, the Orange and Blue Debut was all about Feleipe Franks vs. Kyle Trask.

The two rising freshmen QBs were forced to sit and watch while redshirting in 2016, as Del Rio and Austin Appleby — the graduate transfer is out of eligibility — struggled more often than not for Florida under center.

While Del Rio is only set to be a junior this coming season, most of Gator Nation is hoping to move on from him once and for all. Franks was highly recruited coming out of high school. Trask was more of an under-the-radar prospect who made a name for himself on the camp circuit. Both promise higher ceilings than Del Rio.

UF coach Jim McElwain clearly wanted to put his young field generals in pressure situations as much as possible during the spring game.

Instead of a traditional four-quarter scrimmage, Florida opted for a running clock to accommodate a two-hour broadcast by SEC Network. Additionally, the second and fourth periods focused exclusively on the two-minute drill.

Franks didn’t waste any time bringing the half-full crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to its feet. Getting the start for the Orange team, he drove his offense right down the field — highlighted by a perfect 46-yard bomb to receiver Josh Hammond — for a touchdown. Junior tailback Jordan Scarlett ultimately scored from a yard out.

It was a 9-play drive that covered 71 yards and took 5:16. Franks was 3-of-4 passing and seemed to be in complete control.

That’s a refreshing change for Franks from last year’s spring game, when he was an early enrollee instead of preparing to go to the prom. He fired a trio of interceptions and had some Gators fans worried that he might be a bust.

Meanwhile, Trask (below) — quarterbacking the Blue squad — went three-and-out on his initial possession. His first throw was on target but dropped, and then he came up short on a third-down scramble when nobody was open downfield. On the final play of the first quarter, he was sacked and fumbled after getting flustered in the pocket.

Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

To be fair, Trask was running the second-team offense but battling the first-team defense. Franks was surrounded by starters yet facing backups.

If this were a boxing match, it might have been a TKO at halftime. While Franks had plenty of room to deliver the ball to wide-open receivers, Trask was continually pressured and didn’t have anybody to throw to anyway.

After 30 minutes of fairly subdued action, Franks — 8-of-14 for 119 yards and a TD at the break — had raced the Orange out to a 17-0 lead. Trask, on the other hand, was just 2-of-8 for 11 yards and failed to get anything going for the Blue. Franks looked cool and comfortable. Trask appeared to be jittery and apprehensive.

Given a chance to work with the starters midway through the third quarter, Trask switched to Orange and finally came alive.

Orchestrating a 7-play, 61-yard scoring march that took 4:22, Trask was 2-of-2 through the air. By far his prettiest pass Friday was a bootleg rollout that resulted in a 15-yard gain along the right sideline to receiver Brandon Powell.

Franks didn’t see the field at all in the second half, as Trask shared the position with Kadarius Toney and Nick Sproles. Toney has generated some buzz this spring with his dual-threat ability — neither Franks nor Trask showed much desire to tuck it and run — while Sproles was handed a few courtesy snaps as a walk-on.

Despite the fact that Franks throughly outplayed Trask, as Orange pounded Blue by a final score of 31-0, McElwain is in no hurry to declare a starter.

More than likely, McElwain will feel some loyalty toward Del Rio and give him a chance to compete during fall camp. Moreover, rumors continue to swirl that Notre Dame’s Malik Zaire has Florida on his list of possible transfer destinations.

It wasn’t that long ago when coaches wanted to name their No. 1 sooner rather than later in order to ensure he got as many quality practice reps as possible. The game has changed, though. With so many QBs transferring these days — patience is at an all-time low — McElwain has to protect his depth with a convincing poker face.

Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Franks (above) was far from perfect, too. Shortly after the strike to Hammond, he airmailed a would-be TD down the seam.

“Down in the red zone, we missed, what, three of them that were touchdowns if you just hit the guy between the numbers on the chest,” McElwain said after the game. “It’s pretty obvious we’ve got to produce down there and would’ve liked to see him hit those. But other than that, he did alright.”

When speaking to reporters, the majority of McElwain’s quarterback commentary centered on Franks — for all the obvious reasons. As a matter of fact, Toney commanded his coach’s attention more than Trask did.

“I was really excited about Kadarius,” McElwain said. “Obviously, we know what we have there. That’ll be a guy that needs to touch the ball for us.”

Clearly, Toney isn’t a candidate to be the starter, but some sort of X-factor role for him would at the very least occupy enemy defensive coordinators’ practice time during the week. Scarlett ran the ball well. Antonio Callaway continues to be a dangerous pass catcher. An offense desperate for real playmakers may finally have some.

But it won’t matter much unless Franks — or anybody, really — steps up and gives UF consistency at the game’s most important position.

“I think he’s ahead,” McElwain said of Franks. “There’s no doubt about it.”

We’re still five months away from Florida’s opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington against Michigan. Even if Franks is increasing his lead in the derby to the top of the depth chart, McElwain hasn’t laid his cards on the table.

“We’ll find out over the summer.”

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.